‘Helicopter Parenting’ Discourages Kids

“Helicopter parent” is a 21st century term for parents that “hover” over their children, monitoring and micromanaging their every move. Although parents may find this hard to do, research shows that giving kids space may better motivate them.

According to APS Fellow Carol Dweck, a psychological scientist at Stanford University who researches motivation and development, helicopter parenting is more likely to hold kids back. “We’ve studied parents over-praising and we are studying parents overdoing. It makes the child feel they can’t do anything without the parent.”

The bottom line, she says, is that less parenting may help kids more in the long run. Watch the full Today Show segment below: